Japanese Cinema: Eros Plus Massacre - Essay Example

The film, Eros Plus Massacre does not only deals with the life of the Japanese anarchist but also focuses on the political and social theories of free love which he envisaged through the research work of two students on the life of Osugi depicted through the film.

 Eros Plus Massacre is a study of human characters and psychology on one hand and enables the comprehension of the socio-political discourse of the time when Osugi was alive. The film centers around three women characters. Three of these women characters happen to be the wife, the third lover, and the jealous and traitorous second lover of Osugi. Hori Yasuko was Osugi’s wife. Noe Ito was the third woman in the life of Osugi and was with him during the time of Osugi’s assassination. The second woman and her relationship with Osugi form a vital discourse in the film. The second woman in Osugi’s life was a militant feminist named Masaoka Itsuko. Itsuko even tried to kill Osugi inside a tea house in 1916. The most fascinating part of the film is the amalgamation of certain characters from the present with that of the past and the oscillation of the time frame beautifully captivated within the framework of the cinematic narrative within the film.

However, when the film, “Eros Plus Massacre” is judged from a very close contour, it is observed that the excellent work of camera by the cinematographer Motokichi Hasegawa imparted a different dimension to the theme and context of the film. The cross-cut and the dissolve techniques used during the intimate scenes of Osugi with his lover Noe stand apart and far above the mundane techniques implemented in the camera work of the general films. Also, the remarkable use of the camera in the film can be traced to the climactic scene of Osugi’s assassination.

The number of dolly shots involved with a balanced pace of meticulous use of fade-in shots will make the assassination scene of the film timeless. The use of light in the film, “Eros Plus Massacre” is also remarkable. The film was made in black and white mode; therefore the use of lighting could not find enough space to become evident. Yet, the interplay of dark and light especially in the scene where Masaoka tries to kill Osugi placed at a wide angle at the outset of the shot makes a statement that is almost indelible in the paradigm of lighting within the pantheon of black and white cinema.

The film, “Eros Plus Massacre” presents within its context, a paradoxical discourse. The second woman in Osugi’s life is a feminist militant. However, the same film which captivates a strong feminist statement dared to show the female body with its most probable intimacy with her partner. This discourse got manifested through Osugi and his intimate love scenes with his female counterparts within the film. The depiction of the female body upon the paradigm of physical love which throbbed upon the ideals of Osugi’s free love formed the loci of the thematic discourse for the film, “Eros Plus Massacre”.

It was quite a challenging task for a cinematographer and director of any film to transcribe such a paradoxical and complex discourse through the language of the camera. Nevertheless, without any fail, unanimously any audience going through this marvelous piece would conclude that a work of effective cinematography, balanced and intelligent use of light along with an ace editing work made the film comprehensive. The process which operated within the plot of the film emerged as a narrative that could effectively establish all the contentions and propositions it tried to project (Japan Society, “Eros plus Massacre”).

 Japanese cinema is always revered for its intellectual content. Eros Plus Massacre is one such cinema in the Japanese language that was able to amalgamate technology, aesthetics, and intellect within a single framework of cinema making which made the film appear controversial, yet a work of cinematic art. The film shall reign the archive of Japanese cinema with its glory and success.